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We got home around 10ish last night.  So Matt just has one more round of chemo to go....but we're not sure.  Dr. told Matt that there was a shortage of the chemo drug.  One of the nurses explained that there are three companies that make the AraC.  Two of those have been temporarily closed down causing a national shortage of AraC.   (I'll have to google later to see what I can find about this.)  So with that said, Matt might not need to do the last chemo treatment.  We will know more on Monday what plans we will take.  I know they will start hormone to boost his white count more quickly this time, hopefully preventing the ER visits about day 17.

Matt really feel yukky this time around.  His body is tired.  He aches all over.  So pray for some relief for his body.

Thanks to all for your continue prayers.  We love you all.

Wednesday Night Chemo

Matt will get chemo at 9 p.m. tonight.  He seems very down and depressed this time around.  I was going to spend the night at home tonight (see as how I've been a work from 7 a.m. until 6:40 p.m.) but when I went up to see Matt to tell him that he really wants me to stay.  He is just feeling so much worse this time.  Tired and grumpy.  He doesn't want the lights on or the door open to his room like he usually wants.  Even the tv stays off at night.  Last night he said he doesn't want to do any more chemo after this one.  He really has one more in March and that is the one he is say he won't do no matter what.  I know the past four months have been long and hard for us all, but especially for him. 

Pray his spirit is lifted and he can get comfortable.  Pray the chemo does what it needs to do, but doesn't drain him physically.  Pray that he doesn't get sick at his stomach tonight.

Love you all!

Matt On His Own Monday

So I went on to work after I got Matt a checked in and his PICC line in.  He started chemo around 10 a.m. from what I could understand from him.  He went prepared today with tons of videos and stuff to do.  I was so busy today that I didn't get a chance to break for lunch.  But when I called he must have just fallen asleep cause he was grumpy.  When I finally got off work around 6:15 tonight, I ran to get his milk and headed back up to the hospital.  Again, mister grumpy was asleep and wanted me to be quite and leave him alone.....so guess where I'm sleeping tonight.  My bed is way more comfy than the hospital chair!!  Anyway, I guess I need a good night sleep tonight since I have back to back meetings tomorrow all day.  Hopefully I can stay with him tomorrow night.

MaMaw, Granddaddy and Douglas are headed to see Matt tomorrow during the day.  Hopefully he won't be so grumpy for them.  Matt still has his day and nights messed up, so he may be asleep all day for them.  Who knows!

Praying for a good week for Matt, with little side effects from the chemo.  Praying for the nurses who are so good to him. 

Hope everyone has a great week!

Matt's a Stinker!

Matt is acting like a baby these days.  He didn't go get his PICC line in this morning as scheduled.  So he now will go in early on Monday and get it before he checks in for chemo.  The poor lady had to tell me that they made special arrangements for someone to come in at 7 a.m. this morning...they normally don't come in until 8 a.m.

Special pray request for a co-workers sister, Maria.  Maria had cancer 14 yrs. ago and was in remission but cancer was discovered again in January.  They are working on getting her to MD Anderson.  The family has been told to get things in order....so that isn't the kinda of news you really want to hear.  But we all know the power of prayer!!

Thanks again to everyone for all your support during this difficult time. 

Hope everyone enjoys the weekend!

Life is Good....One Day at a Time!

Counts are good today as Matt prepares to go in for Chemo on Monday.  He is fighting about getting his PICC line put in tomorrow morning, since he doesn't like to sleep with it in his arm, unless he has chemo treatments.  Doc wants to get it in tomorrow so we don't have to wait half a day to start the chemo on Monday.  Matt was really acting like a baby and he said he is going to refuse to go to the hospital tomorrow for the procedure.  PRAY that he rethinks this tonight and gets up ready to do what he has to do.

I'm scheduled on Sunday to give platelets.  Again, just wanting everyone who can give to give if they can.  Your little bit of time means so much to a family in need.  The blood center always needs and it is a free and simple way to give on your part.  I can't imagine what other families are going through, I just know how much blood and platelets Matt has already gone through....which isn't much compared to others.

Update on Terry....he is doing well after his gall bladder was removed.  So thankful they were able to get it out with a major cut.  Terry is very lucky.  The colored pictures of the removed gall bladder was very ugly looking!  YUK!  It probably hasn't been working for years.  Explains a lot about the aches and pains he has been having.

For anyone who wants to hear a great band this weekend in Austin, may I recommend going to see

The 71's Sat: Austin TX - The Ghost Room, 830pm Full info at www.the71s.com.  Email me if you are going and I'll meet you there!

Praying that you each have a wonderful weekend enjoying the good weather and your families.  Be thankful!

Love you!

Waiting.....

Got Matt home a little after 5 p.m.  That is how it goes when we get admitted via the ER.  We have to wait for the hospital to release us, even though we new since 6 a.m. that Matt would go home today.  Wait, Wait, Wait. 

Terry saw the dr. this morning to confirm they will remove his gallbladder tomorrow afternoon.  He will stay over night at the hospital but should go home on Wednesday.  Again, it will be a day of waiting, I'm sure.

I'm wondering, at this point, have we now paid for our own room yet.....or do we get a two for one special???  Just saying......

Matt will be back next week as planned for his third consolidation chemo.  In the midst of my waiting for Terry's appointment to be over today, I met a very sweet lady going through her second battle with breast cancer.  We spoke quickly about each other's journey's.  She had been cancer free for five years only to learn it has come back stronger than before.  It was amazing to hear her speak of how different her treatment is this time around....how it is less stressful for her body and how thankful she is.  I don't think I can describe just how frail and weak she looked compared with how she spoke with such joy and gratitude.  I didn't get her name, but I would ask that you lift her up in prayers....God knows who she is.  Not to compare Matt to her, but I'm so thankful Matt's journey really hasn't been that difficult, when I think of how much worse it could have been.  Matt has been protect by God through so many prayers...hopefully one day he will look back and be able to see how great his life is with a purpose!

Hope you all felt the love today!  Have a great week.

Sunday Night - Crazy Weekend!

So quick update.  Matt has been fever free since 11 a.m.  Hopefully he will be out tomorrrow sometime. 

About 2 a.m. this morning, while I was still trying to get some sleep in the hospital room, I get a text from Terry....I'm in the ER.  Couldn't figure out why I was getting that text...but ended up he was actually down in the ER with pain.  After tests it was decided he has gall stones.  I spent last night going between the 3rd floor where Matt was and the ER.  I'm glad most of the nurses know me now so I could go up and down the elevetor directly to the ER area.

Got Terry home around 8:30 a.m. with some good drugs.  I'll get him to the doc in the morning and hopefully surgery tomorrow sometime.

Be praying for us tomorrow. 

Back in Hospital

Matt went back to ER today running fevers and headaches this afternoon....same timing as last month after chemo.  I've come home to get stuff to stay overnight will they run some test on him.  We spent the last five hours in ER and got a room back on the third floor with all our favorite nurses.  They are super great to Matt.....they already were getting him a good bed and already had my bed/chair in the room waiting for me.

He will have to stay until he is 24 hrs. fever free, if it was like last time.

Sitting Tight...Waiting

Matt is officially in that period where he can get sick easily.  His white counts are pretty much nothing right now.  He had magnesium iv today.  Blood and Platelets are up after his transfusions yesterday.  So we are just in the holding pattern, praying for no fevers during this low white count period.

Thanks for continued prayers!

Double B&P Done!

So we are finished with the double blood and platelets.  Only took from 1 - 6 PM.  Matt ended up having to go get everything done up in his "old" room on the third floor instead of as an out patient.  He didn't seem to get sick this time with anything, so that was good.  His color already looks better than it did.  He was looking a little pale when we went in.  Crazy boy and his shirts.....he honored everyone with his zombie shirt...zombies covered in blood.  Really Matt??

Thanks for all the prayers lifted up today.  They could be felt and were working. 

Love to you all!

Matt Gets to Double Up

Darn, Matt is low on both blood and platelets, so he gets to get a double dose of both tomorrow.  I have no idea how long it will take to do two bags of both, but as well as I remember, the blood takes a while.  He is looking pretty pale today, and gets out of breath easy today, so you know, just by looking at him, he is reaching his low point.  Hopefully he will have more energy after tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone who donated blood today at work. I can't believe they blood bus was able to process about 36 people in the four hours they were at work.  AMAZING!  What a gift.

I have to be so thankful to God for all he has done in our lives because of what Matt is going through.  I know when we finally get to the other side of Matt's journey will will be able to look back and count it all a blessing.....good and bad.

For those prayer warriors out there....please specifically pray that everything goes smoothly with the transfusions that Matt will be receiving tomorrow.  Pray he doesn't get sick at his stomach and that he doesn't "bleed out" afterwards.  Pray that the transfusions will give him the energy his body needs to fight off and protect him from even the smallest germs (that seem to be everywhere right now).  Pray the little sores he is getting on his body will heal and not get infected during his bodies weak period.  Pray that he doesn't develop any fevers this week.

Thank you all out there for all your support and prayers.  Have a great night!

My Challenge To You

My challenge to each of your reading our blog, wherever you may be...take time to donate either blood or platelets regular, if you can.  As I've written before, it is so very easy.  I'll be donating platelets tomorrow and so many of my co-workers have stepped up to donate at our blood drive on Monday.

You can watch this video from the Red Cross & Johnson and Johnson to learn more.  You can make an appointment at the Blood Center of Central Texas or at your local blood center.  You will be truly giving the gift of life to someone who is going through a similar need as Matt is.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support and prayers!

Forgot to Update Yesterday

Opps, forgot to update yesterday after we got back.  Labs look good.  He counts are on the start of the way down, which means he is getting closer to being Neutropenic.  This the time period after chemo he is open to infections more easily, and he can't have fresh flowers, fruits and veggies that are raw. 

Pray that he stays healthy and fever free in the coming week.  I guess we will be back for the third consolidation the last week of the month.

Enjoy the rest of the snow and the beautiful day it is looking to be!

Count your blessings!

Blood, Blood Everywhere!

So Matt's platelet transfusion went pretty good.  His nurse today, was the little nurse who was his ER nurse the night he was diagnosed with leukemia.  She is really sweet, she said she had wondered many times about Matt since November and was glad to see him doing so well. 

She was so kind with Matt today, staying in the room with him making sure he was comfortable and everything.  So we get done and he stays in the room to hold pressure on the IV spot for about 10 mins while I go get the car.  Matt was pretty drowsy today, so I'm glad I took off to take him.

I pull round with the car, he gets in, off we go.  I'm going to take him back home and then I'm head back to work.  Off we go.  Then Matt starts telling me somethings wrong, mom turn around somethings wrong....I'm like really, what, then look down and blood is coming out of his jacket arm sleeve, all over his hand.

So I quickly head back to the hospital, while is trying to get his jacket off.  He keeps saying how wet it feels.  He was right, pretty gross, blood pretty much everywhere....which is amazing coming out of such a small IV hole.  Anyway we get back, run in the area he had just been in and the nurse start getting pressure back on the whole and getting him cleaned up.  The nurse really had to scrub and rub to get the blood off his arm and hands.  Finally she gets it cleaned, and puts a big bandage and a lot tighter bandage around and around his arm.  Now we have shirt, shorts and jacket to try and get all the blood out off.  I'm thinking hydrogen proxide will do the trick.

I'm afraid that all the platelets that went into him, came right back out today.  I guess we will know more tomorrow when the test him again.  Pray enough got in him to help even out his levels.

Matt has Platelet Transfusion Tomorrow

Boy, it is really cold.  It shouldn't be like this in Texas.

Matt's platelets have already dropped, so he goes to the hospital, as an out patient, for platelet transfusions in the morning.  He had an IV of magnesium this afternoon.  Hopefully it will go smoothly, last month he got sick when he got platelets.  So I'm praying he feels great.  I just know it is going to be soooooo cold when he has to be there in the morning.

Ya'll get warm tonight.  And thanks to all who are keeping us in your prayers!

Matt Should Be Happy - It is COLD

Matt always is complaining these days about how hot he is.  Well at 17 degrees this morning, he should be happy.  The downstairs of our house is sooooooo cold right now.  I don't want to get out in this stuff today.  Thank goodness we don't have ice.

Matt is going to go on his own this afternoon for his labs and his 2 hr. IV drip.  So he is to call me only if he gets dizzy after the IV is done.

Everyone stay warm today.  I'm off to shower and find layers to wear to work today.  I feel bad that I'm complaining...poor Bekah, up in NM says it was -2 yesterday and only getting colder today.  They've already cancelled classes and it apparently hasn't stopped snowing since yesterday.  Snow not as fun when you're not skiing on it!!!!

Enjoy your day...I'm gonna try harder today to find more joy in the simple things in life.